Apparel apparatus



J. H. KELLY AND T. W.,PROSSER.

APPAREL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26. 1919.

1,364,380, Patented Jan. 4 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

11175255 Quad Z. Z'Proaaei;

J. H. KELLY AND T. W. PROSSER.

APPAREL APPARATUS.

AFPLlCATION FILED JULY 26, 1919.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

- 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

-l izz/enrs: fjflfz Zly and Ill/1 5562,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JERRY HrKELLY, or omoaeo, rumors, AND 'momas w. rnossna, or 3mm DAM, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS TO PARAMOUNT HOSIERY FORM DRYING (70., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

APPAREL APPARATUS.

Application filled July 26, 1919.

paratus, and more especially to a hosiery inspecting and reversing structure.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, comparatively inexpensive, and efficient apparatus by which, in a single operation, hosiery may be turned inside out, inspected, and automatically counted, with a minimum amount of labor involved. 7.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure of the kind mentioned by which the fabric of the hosiery, for inspection purposes, may be momentarily stretched or opened up so that defects or imperfections therein may be easily. discernible and by which structure the hosiery article, as itis being positioned on the same, may be turned or reversed; and, if desired, there is associated with this structure a hosiery counting device which is operated during the operation thereof whereby, without mental effort on the part of the operator, the number of hosie articles inspected is automatically indicate In some instances, there is associated with the counting device a signal including, preferably, a bellwhich, at a predetermined point or time of operation of the structure, is actuated to notify the operator that a redetermined number of hosiery has been inspected.

Heretofore, it has been the rather general practice in hosiery mills to provide one or another type of hosiery inspecting devices. For the most part, these have been made of wood and, in consequence, are more or less unsubstantial. These devices are generally operated only for effecting an inspection of the hosiery article; and, by reason of the fact that they are constructed of wood, have surfaces which are more or less rough and, at best, make it difficult to efliciently place and inspect the hosiery article thereon.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Serial No. 313,483.

The practice heretofore in vogue, in conunction with these prior devices, was for the operator, after completing the inspection, to count a batch of goodsinspected for the purpose of checking up the batch as to its completeness: In hosiery mills today, the articles are handled and treated in lots of a dozen of the same. In other words,

these articles are supposed to come to the inspector in batches or lots of a dozen each. The inspector, however, must check the batch or lot to make certain that it includes the full dozen. This requires not only mental effort,- but considerable time, and trouble, with the result that the inspector is not able to handle as many lots'of a dozen as she might. To the end that the inspectors work may be facilitated andher counting and checking of the batches maybe accomplished simultaneously with the operation of inspection, we have made it a desideratum, inv the present invention, to aggroup coacting instrumentalities whereby the three operations of turning the article inside out, inspecting the same, and counting it, are effected by the one device and without requirement on the part of the inspector to count each article of the batch.

In other words, it is a feature "of the present invention to. provide a combined inspecting, turning and counting structure, for use in hosiery mills, whereby, with this single structure, an increased number of articles may be daily handled by the inspector and with a desirable assurance of accuracy.

The invention involves other features,

some of equal importance to that just mentioned, and these will be made apparent in thedescription which follows hereinafter.

In order that the inventionmay be more readily comprehended, we have revealed it in the accompanyin drawings; but, as it involves certain fun amental features which may be combined or a grouped in different ways, what is here disclosed is to be regarded as merely illustrative; in other words, the structure, as herein revealed,may be considerably varied and modified without departing from the invention and without sacrificing any-of these salient features or underlying principles.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of our device;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevationothereof;

Fig. 3 is a View in vertical longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical transverse section on the line 4& of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view, on a somewhat exaggen ated scale, of a portion of the inspecting .member, with a stocking thereon to show the effect of the particular dimensions and form of the memberyand Fig. 7 is a View in detail of someparts of the structure.

Referring to these drawings, the reference-numeral 1 designates a bracket or standard which, in this instance, may be secured to a table or other sustaining structure. This standard includes a base-portion 2, an upright portion 3, a bearing portion a, and a counter-sustaining portion or arm 5. in the bearing portion 4: are bearings 6.

Sustained by the standard and freely rotatable in the bearings is an inspecting member designated, generally, by 7. This includes a shaft portion 8, a cylindrical portion 9, and a fabric opening-up portion 10, This last-mentioned portion is preferably made of aluminum because of the characteristic attribute thereof for producing or effecting what is practically a self lubricating action when fabric is placed thereon; Tn other words, ;the aluminum, possessing a smooth surface, and having'the aforementioned characteristic attribute of facilitating the. movement of fabric as the same maybe placed or stretched over such surface, we take advantage of this condition and effect -a' new function in -connection therewith, as

will be presently hereinafter explained.

The member 10, preferably and as shown, is of greater widthwise dimension than is its thickness; and this presents oppositely-disposed sides 11, which are preferably arcshape or curved, and provide a member which is relatively thin in cross section. The edges 12 are, preferably and as shown,

somewhat rounded and are reduced in thick' ness considerably in comparison with the thickness of the medial portion of the mem her. The edge 13 of the end of the member is similarly formed.

The cylindrical portion 8 has formed at its end a circular terminal 14; and this is adapted to be secured, as by screws or bolts 15, to a pawl-carrying member 16 to which the shaft. 8 is attached. The member 16 is oppositely disposed bosses 17 in which are located two springactuated pawls 18, the upper end of each of which is formed with a beveled surface 19 and with a cutout 20, the function of which will presently be described.

Botatably mounted on the counter-sustainlng portion 5 of the standard is a counterp-disk 21 provided with serrations 22 on its periphery. Juxtaposed to each serration is a number or index 23, there being, in this instance, twenty-four of these disposed in a circular line. Upstanding from the portion 5 and adapted to register with the serration 22 and its respective index 23 is a pointer 24. Thus, on the disk 21 and the standard are coacting means to effect an accurate register or counting. The teeth of the serration 22 are arranged to be engaged by the pawls 18 so that, when the member 10 is moved, the pawls are brought into register with the serrations. The beveled formation 19 on the pawl permits it to latch by a serration without effecting rotation of the disk 21, but the cutout 20 presents a disk-engaging abutment 25 which will engage a tooth on the disk and rotate it one point or in-- crement.

On the outer face of the counter-disk is a cam-formation 26 adapted to be engaged to the end of a bell-ringing element 27, this being secured to the bell support 28. It will now be understood that when the cam 26,

during rotation of the counter-disk, engages the element 27, it will tension it so that when it is disengaged from the cam the looped portion 29 of the element 27 will impinge against the bell and ring it. This ringing will occur, preferably, when the pointer 2 is in register with the index-number 24:, on the dlsk 21.

Uperation: lff the, device is to be used as a turning or reversing instrumentality, the inspector places a portion of the inner surface of the article on the end of the member 10 and pulls the same toward the connected end of the member. By reason of the smooth surface of the form and its particular dimensions and formation, the article is reversed or turned inside out simultaneously with its being positioned on the member. Thecircumference of this member is preferably somewhat greater than that of an unstretched hosiery article; and, by reason of this fact, the article is slightly stretched so as to open the fabric thereof and permit a ready and accurate inspection and the detection of imperfections, holes, etc. A feature of the present invention resides in the fact, first, that the member is made-of aluminum, which permits the fabric to slide on its surface with great facility; and, secondly,

that the member is of a circumference ortransverse dimensions such that it effects a stretching or opening up of the fabric.

When the hosiery article is disposed on the member, the inspector manually turns it to examine the opposite side. As the member is turned in one direct-ion, one of the pawls 18 is positioned in register with a serration in the disk 21, and when the abutment 25 engages a tooth of the serration, it turns the disk one point. When the member is turned in the opposite direction, the pawl latches by the teeth on the disk 21 and the latter remains unturned. As the operation continues, the inspector will eventually have turned the disk 21 until the pointer 24 is about to register with the counter number 24 on the disk 21. As that condition develops, the cam 26 engages the bell-ring ing element 27 so that, when the pointer and counter number 24 are brought into register, the bell is'rung, and the inspector is thereby advised that twenty-four articles have been inspected, or inspected and turned, as the case may be. If, therefore, any particular batch which comes to the inspector includes too few or too many articles, the inspector, with this device, will be able to detecLthat-fact without having to handle the goods separately after inspection to count them.

In actual practice with this device, it has been found that an inspector is able to turn, inspect, and count a very much greater number of hosiery articles, in a days time, and Without anyi ncreased effort on herpart in the operation. In addition, a better inspection can be effected. Still, again, an accurate counting of the hosiery articles is effected by the device while the operator is operating it and without any effort on her part in that direction.

We have, herein, revealed the invention in a particular embodiment; but it is to be un derstood that we do not restrict ourselves thereto, nor to the'details which may have beendescribed herein, excepting insofar as such details maybe recited in the appended claims.

What we claim is 1. A hosiery-handling structure including a rotatable hosiery-reversing and inspectin instrumentality of a width-Wisedimens on greater than its thickness, a hosiery counting device, a support common to the inspecting instrumentality and device, and co-aeting means carried by the instrumentality anddevice whereby by the movement of'the instrumentality an indicating action of the device is effected.

2. A hosiery-handling structure includinga rotatable hosiery-reversing and inspecting instrumentality relative y thin in cross sectionand having curvedsides and rounded edges, a hosiery-counting device, a standard common tothe instrumentality and device for sustaining them in normally unengaged position,-,and co-acting means carried by the instrumentality and device whereby by the turning of the instrumentality the counting device is periodically operated. r

3. A hosiery-handling structure including a rotatable hosiery inspecting instrumentality of .greater width than thickness and having curved sides and reduced,

rounded edges, a hosiery-counting device as sociatedtherewith and operated by the turning of the inspecting-instrumentality to indicate the number of hosiery-articles inspected thereon, a standard common to and for supporting the instrumentality and device, and co-acting means carried by the instrumentality for effecting cooperation therebetween.

4. A hosiery-handling structure including a rotatable hosiery inspecting instrumentality of greater width than thickness and having curved sides and reduced, rounded edges, a hosiery-counting device associated therewith and rotatable in a clockwise direction by the turning of the inspecting-instrumentality to indicate the number of hosiery-articles inspected thereon, and a standard for sustaining said instrumentality and device in normally unconnected relation, and means carried by the instrumentality and engageable with the device periodically.

'5. A hosiery-handling structure including a supporting-standard, ahosiery inspecting and reversing member rotatably sustained thereby and ofgreater width than thickness and having fabric opening-up surfaces, and made principally of aluminum to provide a self-lubricating face on each surface, a hosiery counting device on the standard, and coacting means on the device and member for operating the same at each turning of the member; the standard being com-.

mon to the inspecting member and counting device for sustaining them in normally unengaged relation.

6. A hosiery-handling structure includng an upright supporting-standard, bearings therein, a hosiery inspecting and reversing member sustained by the standard and freely rotatable in 'the bearings, of

greater. width than thickness, and made principally of aluminum to provide a self lubricating, fabric opening-up surface, sbpring-pressed pawls carried by the memer, standard and periodically engageable by the pawls to rotate it in one direct1on.

hosiery-handling structure including an upright supporting-standard, bear- .ings therein, a hosiery inspecting and reversing member sustained by the standardand a counter-disk sustained by the tion, a pointer stationary on the standard and associated with the counter-disk, a bell Lesa-see sustained by the standard and stationary relative to the disk, and means carried by 15 the disk for operating the bell at a predetermined position of the disk when operated by the inspecting-member.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JERRY H. KELLY. THOMAS W. PROSSER.

\Vitnesses W. H. BRETOLL, H. J. GIEsBER'r. 

